Isaac t



1. P. TICE.

shel -Fuse.

No. 38,994. Patented June- 23,1863.

NZPEYEIS, PHmI-ITHOGHAPHER, WASHINGTON. o. C.

ilnrrnn STATES Paras-r isaAt:r.ancn,orfinnu ixnug X.r1

S ecification forming part of LClltl'S Patent No.

is (n55 who/1t 77/5 nutgt concern;

Be it known that 1, Isaac 1. TICE, of the city, county, and State of N ew York, have in vented a new and Improved Percussion-Fuse for Explosive Projectiles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referenee'being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of my improved fuse, showing the parts in the positions which they occupy when the fuse is first inserted in the projectile and until the firing of the charge of the piece of ordnance from which the projectile is fired. a similar section, showing the parts in the positions they assume after leaving the piece. Fig. 3 is an end view of an inner tube which is used within the fuse to contain a fnlminate priming.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists, principally, in the construction of a percussion-fuse tube or plug with two separate chambers, one to contain fulminate of silver or mercury or other fulminating powder, and another to contain sand, emery, broken glass, or any other hard granular substance, the said chambers being so arranged and combined by means of a lock of simple construction as to be perfectly closed and locked to prevent communication between them until the firing of the charge of the piece of ordnance from which the projectile is to be thrown, and then to be unlocked by the int pact produced upon the projectile by the explosion of the said charge and thereby permit communication between them for the admixture of their contents, so that 011 the projectile striking the concussion and friction produced between the fulminate and the said hard substance may ignite the former and so fire the bursting-charge of the projectile.

It also consists in the construction and arrangement of the parts of such lock in such manner that though it shall be unlocked at or near the bottom of the bore of the gun, it shall be prevented from opening the communication between the two chambers until after the projectile has left the bore of the gun.

It further consists in the employment, in combination with fulminates, in percussionfuses, of cotton, gun-cotton, wool, hair, cloth,

a es

or other soft material, either mixed with the fulminate or. as a lining to the chamber which contains it, or in the form of a cushion for the purpose of preventing premature explosions by accidental concussions; and it further consists in the employment, in the percussion-fuse of an explosive projectile, of two fulminates, one of which is more sensitive or easily ignited-as fnlminate of silver-and the other of which burns more slowly or with a stronger flame as fulminate of mercurythe latter being mixed with the former or interposed between it and the bursting-charge of the'proj ectile to insure the ignition of the said charge.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and'use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

D is the fuse-tube, made of brass or other metal, with asolid flanged head,j, and screwed into a tapped hole in the head of the projectile.

K is a pin secured in the center of the head 7, and extending about half the length of the tube D.

Z is asmall tube, of brass or other metal, fit ted to work easily on the pin K, and having at its front end a flange, Z, and two legs, Z Z, by which it may be supported against a tubular plunger, m, which is just small enough to work easily within the cylindrical interior of the tube D. The rear end of the tube 1 is fitted to a countersunk opening in the center of a cup, at, which is screwed into the interior of the tubeD, and which thus serves to hold the tube Z in place, with its legs Z Z against the plunger, and so to hold the plunger against the head of the tube D. The'length of the tube Z is the same as that of the pin K, and the plunger m is of about half that length, so that when the tube is held in place in the man ner above described and represented in Fig. 1, the pin K enters about half-way through the tube Z.

p is a spiral spring, coiled round the tube Z, and compressed against the flange Z thereof by means of a cup, q, which is screwed into the tube D before the cup 12, and which has a central opening just large enough for the tube I to pass through.

1* is a plate screwed into the rear end of the tube D after the cup )1, and closing the rear end thereof.

The portion of the interior of the tubel not spring 12, as shown in Fig. 2.

I occupied by the pin K, constitutes the chamsaid tube, constitutes the chamber for the sand' or other hard granulated material, by the friction of which the fulminate is to be ignited when the projectile strikes; but these chambers are separated by the tube Z and the cups a and 9, so that there is no communication be tween them until the projectile leaves the gun, when, what may be termed the lock, composed of the leg Z, spring andplunger m, is unlocked, and the two chambers allowed to communicate, as will be presently described.

I propose to use in the chamber 8 a mixture 'of about three parts, by weight, of fulminate of silver and one part of, cotton, gun-cotton, sawdust, or other soft material, the soft material being to prevent accidental or premature explosion; and I place in the said chamber, both before and behind the fulminate mixture, small cushionsvv, or wads of cotton, or other soft material; but I prefer to use gun-cotton at the rear end. The whole tube Z is lined with a piece of cotton, flannel, or other soft cloth, a, to form a lining for the chamber 8. it contains a small charge, WV, of gunpowder, to ignitethe bursting-charge of the shell and between the gunpowder and the fulmi nate mixture in the chamber 8, I place in the mouth of the tube Z a little fulminate of quicksilver to insure the ignition of the charge of gunpowder in the cup at, the fulminate of silver sometimes, owing to its extremely rapid combustion, failing to ignite gunpowder, though it will ignite the fulminate of mercury, which, burning more slowly and with a stronger flame, will ignite the gunpowder.

The operation of the fuse is as follows WVhen the gun is fired and the projectile is started suddenly by the sudden impact of the explosion of the gunpowder, the inertia of the plunger m causes it to hang back with suflicient force to break off or bend back the legs Z l, and so unlock the tube Z and allow it to be driven forward by the expansion of the This driving forward of the said tube upon the pin opens the rear end of the chamber 8 to the chamber t, and causes the pin to expel the contents of the chamber 8 and depositthem' into the chamber t, or, in other words, the forward movement of the said tube merges the chamber 8 into the chamber 1 and causes the contents of the two to be mixed, so that when the projectile strikes, the concussion between the particles of fulminate and the sand or other hard granular material, may produce the ignition of the fulminate, which ignites the charge IV, the explosion of which blows out the disk 9- and produces the ignition of the bursting charge of theprojectile.

The cup The above-described forward movement of the tube Z upon the pin is prevented from taking place until the projectile has left the gun by the constant acceleration of the velocity of the projectile as it passes through the bore, which is so great as to prevent the elasticity of the spring from overcoming its own inertia V and that of the tube Z, and the possibility of the explosion of the projectile in the gun is thereby prevented; but after the projectile has left the bore of the gun, and there is no further acceleration of its velocity, the tube Z is left to the influence of the spring p, which drives it forward as far as the head j of the tube D.

The flanged head j may have a recess in its face for the reception of a Bormann or other time-fuse.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The construction of the tube or plug of a percussion-fuse, with two separate chambers or compartments, one for containing a fulminate and the other for containing sand or other hard granular substance, so arranged and.

combined by means of a'lock that by the impact which is given to the projectile by the firing ot' the charge of the gun the said lock may be unlocked to permit communication between the said chambers to permit the ad mixture of their contents, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. So constructing and arranging the parts of the above-mentioned lock that, though it shall be unlocked by the concussion produced by the firing of the charge of the gun, the chambers containing the fuhninate and hard granular substance shall not be allowed to communicate until after the projectile has left the gun, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The admixture of fulminates used in a percussionfuse with cotton, gun-cotton, wool, sawdust, or other soft material, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

4... The lining of the sides of the chamber provided in. a percussion-fuse tube or plug for containing fulminate with flannel, cloth, or other soft material, and the placing of cushions of soft material at the ends of the said chamber, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

5. The employment, in the percussion-fuse of an explosive projectile, of two fulminates, one of which is more sensitive and easily ignited, and the other of which burns more slowly or with a stronger flame, as fulminate of mercury, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

' ISAAC I. TIOE.

lVitnesses:

Ron. H. SOUDER, GEO.- WV. REED. 

